Mobb Deep’s Top 10 Warm-Up Songs

Excuse Mobb Deep for being cliché with the release, but this Friday is about to get really black. The Queensbridge duo is turning Black Friday into Black Cocaine. They dropped their newest five-track EP yesterday, and this Friday they’re dropping a deluxe edition on the biggest shopping day of the year. Finally, after years of waiting, Prodigy and Havoc are back together again, bringing that gritty New York sound into a game worshiping Lex Luger beats and Drake harmonies. As long as this release isn’t Blood Money, their last release five years ago that was nearly complete garbage, I’ll be hyped and willing to go spend my $10 instead of hitting the net.

Growing up, Mobb Deep had to make the pre-game playlist. We didn’t have iPods. We had CDs, and I mixed full 16-track albums from the QB duo, whipped out the magic marker and probably called it Mobb Deep: The Pre-Game Anthems. Or something like that. No matter what, I had to get some Trife Life in me before tip. It’s a wonder I didn’t pick up more technical fouls.

To celebrate their return, here are 10 Mobb Deep tracks that you absolutely have to listen to before a basketball game (and I would’ve included “Drop A Gem On ‘Em” if I wasn’t such a big ‘Pac fan).

10. Mobb Deep (Feat. Nas) – “Get It Forever”
Off the new EP, this beat KNOCKS. And Nas obliterates it as usual.

9. Mobb Deep (Feat. 50 Cent & Nate Dogg) – “Have A Party”
Not one of my favorite Mobb songs, but the beat is hard enough. You can bet this had some pre-game rotation at many high schools back in the day.

8. Mobb Deep (Feat. Cormega) – “What’s Ya Poison?”
Honestly, I didn’t put this song on the list because of Mobb Deep. I put it on here because Cormega is a beast. This could’ve been the only verse he ever spit that didn’t have some type of NBA reference.

7. Mobb Deep (w/ DJ Clue) – “The Best Of Queens (It’s Us)”
DJ Clue‘s The Professional Part 2 has so many classic cuts on there that I wore out it out three different times, and had to keep burning new ones. This was one of the standouts, a great joint even for Mobb Deep and something that can actually stand up next to some of their album tracks..

6. Mobb Deep – “Got It Twisted”
This already passed the test by appearing in an AND 1 Mixtape back in the day… and killing it.

5. Mobb Deep (Feat. Nas) – “It’s Mine”
This is one of those verses from Nas that forces everyone in the room to STFU, drop what they’re doing and zone out. And you have to turn it up. Shit is better than a novel, autobiographic / spit on tracks it becomes classic / Start some, make my heart pump, spark one I’m God’s son / Nastradamus, the last one to blast when the NARCS come. Add in the Scarface sample and you’ll be staring people down in the crowd like someone just tried to set you up.

4. Mobb Deep (w/ The Alchemist) – “It’s A Craze”
Listen to that monster beat from The Alchemist and tell me this song wasn’t meant to get you hyped. This has been on my weight room playlist since I had a weight room playlist.

3. Mobb Deep – “Win Or Lose”
The remix (even though it’s a blend) is probably better, but considering I’ve been playing this track since the day it released seven years ago and it still gets me hyped, “Win Or Lose” was guaranteed to crack this list. Losing ain’t an option girl…

2. Mobb Deep – “Apostle’s Warning”
Words. Can’t. Describe. This. Track. The beat might shatter windows and wreck your speakers. You could probably scare every white person in the gym with this one. Ahhh, back when Prodigy was a mic-destroying rapping beast.

1. Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones Part II”
What did you expect? Throw this on to start warm-ups and you’ll be AI with the rock and VC in the air. Depending on the situation – what gym you’re in, who you’re playing, whether you hate them or just don’t really like them – this could either start a riot or a party. It could also get you so hyped that you’d use up all your energy by the first timeout.

What do you think? Am I missing any?

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